Fashionista Fallon Rosen ’16 lands Ralph Lauren gig

Senior will head to work for one of the world's top designers after she graduates from Brandeis

Photo/Mike Lovett

Fallon Rosen '16

By Julian Cardillo ’14May 16, 2016

Little did Fallon Rosen ’16 know that being a fashionista would shape her Brandeis experience and eventually kick-start her professional career.

In fact, the New York City native, who graduates Sunday with a BA in sociology, will report to work in Ralph Lauren’s marketing division in early June after winning a YMA Fashion Scholarship, a national competition which supports liberal arts students interested in pursuing careers in design, merchandising, retailing and business.

“I use fashion as a way to express myself,” Rosen said. “If I look good, I feel good. Style is something you embody, not something you do.

The path before Rosen is starkly different from the one she envisioned when she applied to Brandeis to study peace and co-existence. After her first year and a bit of soul-searching, Rosen decided to channel her love of fashion and sociology into marketing.

“I thought to myself, ‘what do I like?’ And I told myself, ‘fashion.’ And I’ve always loved sociology and have wanted to pursue it. But when I looked into marketing, I realized that it was basically sociology.”

The Hiatt Career Center recommended that Rosen apply for the YMA Fashion Scholarship, which opens the door to opportunities in the industry. Rosen won a scholarship her junior year for a marketing case study she conducted on Lululemon.

This year, she applied for the prestigious Geoffrey Beene Scholarship with the help of professors Alice Kelikian, Tory Fair, Grace Zimmerman, Jane Ebert and Maura Jane Farrelly, as well as Hiatt Career Center assistant director of employer relations Caroline O'Shea. Being involved with both scholarships helped Rosen meet a number of fashion industry professionals, including her future employer at Ralph Lauren.

“When you win the YMA Scholarship, you are invited to a gala and an internship fair packed with designers looking to hire you,” Rosen said. “But Ralph Lauren was more selective, which made them all the more desirable to me.”

Last summer, she worked for the renowned designer as a wholesale marketing intern in menswear and other areas. Two days before Thanksgiving, Rosen was offered a permanent position as a marketing coordinator.

Rosen has been inspired by the brand and its founder for years, so her heart was set on working for Ralph Lauren.

“Mr. Lauren paved the way for what it means to have a brand,” said Rosen.

“He has beautiful stores and is selling a lifestyle. It’s an iconic brand with such history. He invented the concept of flagship stores. He outfits the U.S. Olympic team. Ralph Lauren is a legend.”

Rosen has successfully combined her love for fashion with what she’s learned about sociology and business in the classroom. That one-two punch has been a defining part of her Brandeis experience.

“People ask on tours what a typical Brandeis student is like,” said Rosen, who is also a senior interviewer for admissions. “I tell them there isn’t a typical student and I think I’m a perfect example of that. I’m a sociology major who is going into fashion.

“Like, what? It makes no sense. But, it also makes perfect sense to me.”

Brandeis is one of 48 schools across the country that are part of the YMA Scholarship program, which seeks to identify, cultivate and recruit the best-talented students who are interested in pursuing a career in the fashion industry. Alan Bertman worked with Paul Rosengard ’80, the YMA's co-chair, to grant Brandeis membership in the program.

For more information on applying for the YMA scholarship, students should connect with Alan Bertman.